Jack's Penalty
by Eskil
Summary: Jack broke the law of the Spirits, and must now live as a human for at least a year. Of course it won't be easy, considering Mother Nature took his staff and made him mute as well. But there's an upside. After 295 years, Jack can now be seen and interact with people! But being land-locked and vulnerable to the elements is a new feeling, and Jack has to fight for survival...
1. Jack is hit by a flying bike

**Chapter 1 **

**Jack is hit by a flying bike.**

February. It had started as a weak snowfall. Big, fluffy flakes floated down to the ground, stacking upon one another, creating a layer of fluffy snow all over the town. It was pretty. Too pretty, even.

Jack Frost wasn't in control of these snowfalls. They were natural, and could happen without Jack's interference. But it made him mad. If the Earth could produce such fine snow on its own, why was Jack even here? Wasn't snow and ice the only thing he made? But if it already existed…

Jack came to the conclusion that the Moon was a major douche.

Many times had Jack swore, thrown threats and insulted the innocent Moon as it shone down on the world below. Never did it argue back, never did it stir, blink, or give any signs that it was listening. It had given Jack the silent treatment for… what, 295 years? Oh yes, Jack had been counting alright.

And what about the other seasons? They had all their seasonal talents of course; creating new life, melting snow, keeping all alive and offering gifts, painting the green leaves in flaming colors, give the land a healthy shower of rain that smelled of ocean and forests every now and then…

But they also had talents that Jack never would have guessed.

Spring, for instance, could make dead flowers live again, even though they were nothing but a crumbling brown leaf. She had the power of Life, and wore a small bell around her neck. Whenever this bell chimed, a new star would light up in the sky.

Summer could spread warmth by a single touch. Well, Jack could do the opposite, but it wasn't the same. Warmth was good. It meant life and love, and cold was just… death and despair. Summer was also the Heir of Knowledge. She had the logical answer to every question there was. If Jack hadn't been Summer's opposite Season, they probably would get along. But no, that wasn't the case.

Spring hated Jack. Yep, that's just how it was. She always came up to him and grumbled about there being way to much snow, it still being too cold or that the last blizzard he'd made really hadn't been necessary. That, much more aggressively.

Not even Autumn, Jack's seasonal neighbor, could agree with him. He always complained about Jack letting the snow fall too early, hiding his fiery landscapes in a deathly white. Jack insisted on that this wasn't his work, but nature itself. It was true. Most of the time. Also, Autumn let Summer use his season to let go of the built-up rain she'd been storing during the warm months, as a kind of tribute to life and a welcoming to restoration. That was the only reason she and Autumn got along, but it was enough.

Not even Spring, Autumn's opposite, seemed to mind him.

So all in all, Jack didn't have many friends when it came to the other magical beings. But Jack still seemed to be able to dig out the fun of life. That had been before the accident…

So Jack didn't like the peaceful, happy little snowfalls that Mother Nature made herself. What did he do to fix this? Well, first of all he summoned the winds, which always answered him, and built up a grand storm. Every time he did this, the storms became larger and more ferocious. This day was the day he would cross the line.

He was summoning wind and creating snow at the same time. The wind picked up, the snowfall got heavier, and the more Jack thought about the Moon, who put him here without any explanation (or reason, seemingly) whatsoever, the angrier he got. The angrier he got, the more the winds blew.

Jack thought about that one time he'd been cornered by the Seasons…

* * *

"Useless twerp! We never needed your help with the seasonal change!" an angry Spring shouted and punched Jack in the face, after he'd ruined what would have been a perfect Easter Sunday.

Easter of 1968… phew, he'd been lucky he'd survived that year. Autumn had charged him with his Rod of Fall, and nearly broken Jack's nose.

"You're such a fool, Frost" he had said, spitting Jack's name. "Do you know what the penalty of _murder_ is?"

Lucky indeed. That blizzard had been bad… but surely he hadn't killed… that many? Jack remembered getting a small heart attack the moment Autumn had asked his question.

Jack had weakly said "It… It was accident! I just lost control, is all…"

Spring didn't let him finish, but picked him up by his scruff and smashed him against a brick wall, stunning him momentarily.

"Is… all?" she hissed. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack had seen the remaining two spirits slightly recoil from her tone. But they didn't look surprised. They knew what would happen when you mess with Spring.

"You have killed innocent lives out there. All of them had family. All of them were full of life and memories. Many of them… were children." Her tone was dark and scary. "Killing children, Jack, is the worst crime there is."

"Nobody likes a murderer." Summer said matter-of-factly, which was very true.

Jack barely paid attention. He was a murderer, so what? He already knew that. He sunk the Titanic for crying out loud…

"Also!" Spring snapped, seemingly realizing Jack wasn't listening "You have ruined one of the most important holidays there is… Easter, Jack. Ever heard of it?" Of course Easter was the most important thing in Springs life. It took place in her season, so she and the Easterbunny got along quite well.

"What were you _thinking, _you bloody madman?" Autumn growled "Do you have any common sense whatsoever in that hollow skull of yours?"

Spring let go of Jack and let him crumble to the ground. Jack was beaten black and blue, his nose was bloody and he couldn't see out of his left eye. His limbs were still intact though, which was good.

He was delirious and light-headed. He couldn't focus on the fuzzy outlines what would have been the other Seasons. They were still shouting at him.

This was the only type of socializing he had been introduced to. A kick, a foul name, a punch, an insult… It never seemed to end. Why had this happened to him? What had he done wrong? Why was he here? _Why wouldn't anyone answer him?_

* * *

CRRRACKK

Jack's were thoughts snapped back to the present by a horrible, metallic groan. Before he knew it, Jack dodged a flat board of wavy metal that whooshed past him. I seemed as if it once had been used as a roof to something, but then quite unexpectedly been ripped off and tossed away. How did that ha…

Oh no.

Jack took notice of his surroundings, or at least tried to. The only thing to see was white. More like gray really, 'cause the snowfall was so dense it let no sunlight trough. Was it even daylight? And the wind was completely out of control. It howled and whistled and tugged at Jack's blue, frosted hoodie.

Jack had created the worst hurricane-blizzard the world had ever seen.

Jack dove. He had to see where he was. But it was harder than it sounded; once he got down to ground level, there was only chaos. Cars lay spread over the streets like tiny little toys Jack had seen kids play with. There were boards over most shop windows, and some poor people that hadn't been expecting the sudden death-blizzard (which Jack doubted anyone in the entire town had) were desperately trying to save their displays.

People had fled from the streets. Some houses had been torn apart, piece by piece. Trees had been blown over, or ripped up by the roots.

Jack didn't even know where he was. How long had the storm been carried? How big was it?

Jack was scared. Strangely not because of the fact that he'd just let loose his anger on an innocent town filled with innocent people, probably killing a fifth of them. No, Jack was scared because of a feeling he had. Or rather… the lack of the feeling. No sorrow. He didn't feel sorry or guilty whatsoever. He only felt… _euphoric_, and revengeful. Like he'd just done a good thing, by creating this catastrophe.

It was a good feeling. This was his revenge. 295 years, and not once had anyone appreciated his presence. Not once! He couldn't stand it anymore! Curse the Moon!

He let it all out at once. The storm became ten times worse. He was just starting to see cracks in the brick wall in front of him when the unpredictable happened.

He was knocked out of the sky by a stray mountain bike.

Jack saw stars. He dropped his staff. He was falling to his doom…

Jacks first thought was "ow", even though nothing really hurt. But he was lying on something really, really uncomfortable.

He tried opening his eyes, but was hit by a terrible light, and closed them promptly. He groaned.

"Well, look who's awake" a lady's voice said. Jack nearly jumped out of his skin, and bolted up. His eyes screamed in protest but he forced them to focus.

Before him stood a woman, who looked to be a good few years older than Jack. She was a bit taller than him. Her hair was black and braided with red ribbons. Her eyes were golden, her skin tanned. Her clothes… well, they would easily have been mistaken for a belly dancers outfit. They were made up from silk shawls and fluffy cloth. She wore thick bracelets on her arms and legs. She looked like a human rainbow.

She had a staff, too. It was about as tall as her, a dark brown color. At the tip, it split into two curves which rolled down and inward toward the base of the staff. And in the middle of the staff, at the fork, there was shimmering orb. As it shifted it shone in the colors of the universe. No doubt, this thing was powerful.

Jack stared for a second, a bit unsure whether she was actually speaking to him, then got his senses back into place and said;

"Who… are you?"

The woman smiled. "I am Mother Nature, young Winter"

Jack winced. He never realized that Mother Nature actually existed. He thought it was just an expression! Wow, he must be in trouble, Mother Nature coming to visit an' all…

Wait.

Where the heck was he?

He looked around. Even though most of the place was covered in snow, he could make out a whole lot of junk around him. There was a shell of what once must've been a perfectly fine car, he could make out a few broken TVs and computer monitors, there were shelves, beds, glass bottles that somehow had survived without getting smashed to pieces, old cans, rusty vehicles and tires. The place was about the size of a football field. He was at a junkyard.

He shuffled on his feet. "So, uh, where am I then? Why am I here? And where's my staff?" Jack suddenly felt a twinge of panic when he realized the familiar piece of wood was nowhere in sight and started looking around his feet.

Mother Nature never stopped smiling, which was a bit unnerving, and said "Oh, you mean this?" and pulled out Jack's staff from empty air. Jack wondered only slightly how she did it, but knew better than to question a magical being's powers. He started forward to grab it, but was held back by something.

He looked down to see chain fixed to a metal ring around his ankle, and leading to a hook fastened in the ground. Mother Nature was keeping him prisoner?

"What's going on?!" He yelped and pulled the chain, resulting in him falling over. Mother Nature chuckled. Her beauty had fooled Jack completely. Turns out she wasn't as kind as she looked.

"I simply want to speak with you, Winter. About something you did…"

Oh, now he understood what was going on. She wanted to rage on him because he burrowed a town in snow. Well that's sounded ok, he was used to punishments.

"What you did was wrong…" she began, but Jack cut her off.

"Wrong you say?! Really? And what have I been doing for the past three centuries? After nearly 300 years of doing things "wrong", _now_ you finally realize it? What took you so long?"

Suddenly Jack realized there was a spear at his throat. He shut up. _Where did that come from_?

"Now, now young Winter, none of that." Mother Nature said smoothly. "I simply need you to be quiet while I speak, okay?"

Jack nodded stiffly, careful not to get anywhere nearer the spear.

"Well then. Now to answer your questions…"

-linebreak-

"First of all, you are outside a small town called Priestville. It is located west of Lake Michigan. I have brought you here to show you exactly what you're bringing the people of the world." She paused, daring Jack to say a word. He was struggling not to ask any questions, but honestly! This was all messed up!

"You have brought forth winter for three centuries now, and I honestly thought you'd keep it together until it was time… hm, well that's another story. Anyway, I wasn't expecting this to happen, but it did, and I need to do what has to be done."

Jack wasn't following any more.

"When you created the blizzard, you thought of old memories, did you not? Bad memories, I would guess. Your emotions were spilled into the blizzard, and it became what it did. You were aware of this, and came down to ground-level in order to examine your work, correct?"

Jack nodded, now listening intently.

"This is where you made a mistake." her voice became sterner by the minute, and it may have been Jack's imagination, but the spear seemed to grow sharper as well.

"You didn't regret it. You didn't feel bad for the people you killed, the homes you destroyed… Heck, you even tried to make it worse! Unlike the other major fouls; The Titanic, The Easter of 68… Those were your works as well, no?"

Jack closed his eyes. He really didn't want to think about that now… but she was right, of course.

Noticing Jack's remorse, Mother Nature continued "You feel guilty for those lapses. You made it obvious, and I didn't punish you for those. Your sadness and regret was penalty enough. As a Winter Spirit, it was bound to happen, and I did expect people to die. It's only natural." Her voice was now kind of soft, but still severe.

"This time, however, you did not feel regret for the disaster you created. You blamed it on someone else, didn't you?"

Yes, yes he had. He had some to the conclusion right before getting knocked out of position by a bike. The Moon stood guilty for this one, he had been sure. He's the one who started this all, wasn't it?

Jack swallowed and nodded glumly. He was pretty sure now that Mother N here had steered that bike right into him. Otherwise he'd easily parried it.

"Just like I thought. Now then… this is a serious crime. In fact, if I was following the old Statute Book of the Spirits, I would have the right to execute you here and now…"

Jack's eyes widened. He sent silent pleas to all gods he'd ever heard from on his worldwide adventures, 'cept the Moon.

"…but in all honesty, that was quite messy to implement and not very pleasant. Good thing they updated the laws two decades ago. I won't kill you, don't worry." She said and removed her spear from Jack's face and slung it over her shoulder.

Jack sighed in relief.

Mother Nature was enjoying this. "So, now you might wonder what I'm going to do with you. Well I'll tell you." She looked mysterious, like she knew something Jack didn't.

_Just say it! What will you have me do?_ Jack thought, while dreading the answer at the same time.

Whatever Jack was expecting, it sure wasn't this.

"I've already done it to you." Mother Nature said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Silence followed. It was broken by Jack's "huh?"

"You heard me." She said, suddenly sounding evil. "Just take a look…"

She waved her spear, and it turned into the staff she was carrying before (so that's where the spear came from…) and drew it before Jack's face. Suddenly, the air shimmered, like water, and turned into a frame. And Jack looked into his own reflection…

…Not seeing himself. In the mirror stood a brown-haired boy, with one deep amber eye and the other ice blue.

"_WHAT DID YOU DO?!_" Jack shouted and jumped backwards, tripping over an old bed frame and fell over again. The metal chain rattled, yanking and chafing at his ankle.

"Why do I… Why am I…" He didn't know how to finish. He grabbed his hair and pulled a few strands, as if to check if the magic mirror had been cursed. But no, the hair in his hand was a deep chocolate brown.

Mother Nature observed quietly as Jack was trying keep his head in one place. "It's quite simple, young Winter. I have simply taken your supernatural powers, temporarily, of course."

Oh hell no. Jack was having none of that crap. He stood as close to Mother Nature as the chain would allow, growling.

"It's unavoidable, Winter. The law states that I, as the leader of the Seasons, am responsible for your actions."

"Yeah, well, how long am I supposed to be like this?" Jack was hoping she'd give him her powers back before the end of winter. He simply had to create one last storm before that.

"Well now, let me think. Your crime is serious one indeed, killing people like that… now if we multiply the number of deadly storms you've created with the number of people killed, divided by today's date…" Jack was quite surprised when Mother Nature created a calculator out of thin air and started tapping out numbers.

When she was done, she looked way to gleeful to have good news. "The lawbook states clearly that, if I have counted correctly, I will be keeping your powers for as long as… five years."

Jack's jaw dropped. His brain stopped working for a second, then the panic set in. "_You can't be serious! FIVE YEARS? That's outrageous! I can't live without my powers for that long! What if I die?!" _

Mother Nature rolled her eyes. "There's a possibility, but like I said, it's unavoi…"

"BUT THAT'S WAY TOO LONG!"

Mother Nature had had enough. She jumped Jack with such speed he didn't even notice her move. He was held to the ground. Mother Nature's spear had reappeared, and now it was glowing yellow.

"Zip it." Her voice was so full of power Jack wished his heart wouldn't beat so loudly. "The penalty time might get cut, if I feel like it. But honestly, I really don't like your tone." She hissed like a snake. In fact, her eyes were glowing in anger. "Need I remind you that you are a Seasonal Spirit, and I am your leader? You listen to _me_, Jack Frost. _I_ am your chief. You can't decide your fate on your own. I will choose your punishment, and you will carry out my orders, no matter what. Understood?"

Her voice had become a hoarse whisper toward the end, but Jack had made sure to put everything she said in memory, even though he was sure he would never forget a word of her speech. Jack was shivering in fear, and croaked out "Yes- Yes ma'm!"

"Very good." She rose to her full length, towering over Jack who lay defenseless in the snow below. "Now I _expect_ you to behave in a sensible way, young Winter. Come back to this very spot in one year. Then, we will discuss matters further."

She turned around and walked away. Jack let out a sigh of relief. But when he tried to sit up, he realized the fall he'd taken wasn't very soft. His back protested but Jack stubbornly sat straight, earning a _crack _from his neck. He cursed rather loudly.

In an instant Mother Nature was back in his face with a furious expression.

"If you're not going to use your voice in a polite way, might as well not use it at all."

She snapped her fingers, and there was a spark. Suddenly there was a low ache in Jack's throat. Then the pain exploded and Jack fell to his knees. He curled into a fetal position, grabbed his neck and screamed. The pain was unbearable. It felt as if someone had lit a fire in his throat. The fire died down…

Jack coughed violently. His throat was dry and still ached a little, but not too bad. It felt like he had been gurgling hot chili peppers. He looked up. Mother Nature was still there. He tried to ask what she'd done to him this time, but nothing came out. When he tried to make sound, it only resulted in him coughing even more. _What?..._

"Don't worry. I'll give it back when you've fulfilled your debt. Good day, young Winter."

And with that, Mother Nature was gone, taking Jack's staff, voice and only hope of survival with her.

* * *

**-Huff- It took me –puff- for-fucking-EVER to write this shit. It better be good.**

**On that happy note, HELLO everybody! I am ESKIL the INTERNET-MENACE, and I have come to devour your soul. **

**This up here, which you've just read (probably) is the first part of a BIG project I've been working on. And by BIG I mean FLIPPING HUGE.**

**Seriously, I've been planning this story for months, and It's finally time to write it down.**

**I wanted to make several chapters out of this part, but really, that wouldn't have been fun at all. Besides, I've got all of it in one document. (I KNOW IT'S RISKY AS ALL KINDS OF SHIT, BUT ONCE I'VE GOT IT ONLINE IT WON'T MATTER NO MORE)**

**Yes, I'm going to write about Jack's entire (first) year as a human. Who knows? Maybe Mother N doesn't think Jack's had enough punishments and gives him another year? Poor Jackie, he'll never get out of this evil spiral!**

**I will gladly accept feedback and critiques from all corners of the world! Let me know what you think, and please point out any possible grammar-mistakes I've made. **

**Engruish is not my first language!**

**Thank you! **

**Eskil**


	2. Jack's shopping spree ends in disaster

**Chapter 2**

**Jack's shopping spree ends in disaster**

Jack stood in shock for a few minutes, staring at the spot where Mother Nature had disappeared. What the heck had just happened? Should he stay here until he grew roots? Wait for Mother Nature to come back?

Yeah, he'd do that.

...No, he wouldn't.

Maybe this was all a joke. Jack sure hoped so.

He felt like crying. Kind of. Jack didn't cry easily, but all this had come as such a surprise that he didn't know what to do. He tried his voice again. Nothing.

Why would Mother Nature take his voice? She must've been pretty pissed to do so. Jack could only whistle and cough, still, but that's all. How was he supposed to communicate with whistles? Well, it wasn't impossible…

Wait.

He was human now, right? And he was in the human world, _right_? Jack was pretty sure of that, anyway. But then, does that mean… people could _see_ him now? Walk into him without passing right through? And talk to him?

The realization hit him like a bomb, he even swayed a bit. He could be _seen_… he could _be_…

Jack suddenly shuddered and crossed his arms.

…Which wasn't a good sign.

For nearly three centuries, Jack was immune to cold, no matter how harsh the conditions. Now he was suddenly very, _very _vulnerable. Good thing it was only February. The snow wouldn't fall for long any more, and considering that he now couldn't perform his duties as a Spirit, the snowfalls couldn't be that bad.

Nevertheless, the moment the thought occurred, a light dust of snow started falling. It sparkled like diamonds and looked like miniscule chips of glass as it fell quietly. The wind had completely died down. The wind had always been at Jack's side, and it was quite unusual not to feel or hear the whistle of it.

Jack blew a cloud of vapor into the air. He'd never been able to do that before. There were way to many new things for Jack to handle.

It was really starting to get cold now, and Jack was worried he'd catch frostbite before the sun had set. He wasn't wearing any shoes, which was a slight issue at hand, and his trousers weren't very warm. He'd have to find shelter and some new clothes to keep warm and protect his now so delicate body.

He started climbing the mountain of monitors to have a better look of the area.

Jack was starting to feel grateful to Mother Nature for dumping him a junkyard; especially this particular one. It had everything Jack would need to build a decent shelter. Straight ahead Jack could see a flat building with sheet metal roof. With a pang, he realized a piece of it was missing. _Wonder what happened to it… _

The yard was surrounded by a fence, about 3 meters high or so. There was a gate by the house. It looked like it was the only way out, but Jack certainly wasn't going to risk getting caught just yet. There must've been someone in the building, since there stood a fairly new car on the three-square parking lot. Also, there stood a large box-container right by the entrance. Could it be…?

Jack half rolled, half fell down Mt Monitor and landed face-first on the ground. He rose grumbling. He wasn't very graceful without his staff.

He started criss-crossing through the many piles of scrap and trash. They seemed to be somewhat organized; now that Jack really got a good look at them.

He stealthily approached the deep-blue container and ducked behind an old Fiat without wheels when he came too close to the office-building. He listened. He couldn't hear or see anyone, so he took his chance.

Jack bolted to the container and quickly found the door. Above it there were words imprinted in white. It said:_ CLOTHING DONATIONS. _Jack couldn't help but grin at it. He never thought he'd be this happy to see a donation station.

Jack lifted the lid and threw himself into it, so he was hanging on the edge of the slot. He pulled out a pile of clothes at random, awkwardly climbed out of the container and let the lid go. Unfortunately, it smashed close with a loud _BANG, _which Jack hadn't counted with. As the sound echoed through the zone, a dog started barking in the distance, but still way to close for Jack's comfort. As he looked at the direction of the sound, he was sure he got a heartattack.

A large, black shadow leaped from around the corner of the office and bolted toward Jack. It had gleaming, angry eyes and short black fur. It snarled and howled.

Jack didn't stick around. He turned and sprinted out of the area.

He deposited the pile somewhere along the way and kept running. Half an hour and he was already being chased by rabid dogs. He called the wind by instinct, but of course, nothing happened. Curse Mother Nature and her blasted book!

As Jack ran past a heap of busted engines and motor-parts, he tripped over a pipe and fell over again. He rolled over on his back and saw to his horror the large mutt sprinting toward him. His feet were cut up by all the stray junk on the ground, leaving a trail of red-stained footprints behind him, so the dog had had no problems sniffing him out. The dog was barking like mad and baring teeth.

Jack was already terrified before, but when the dog leaped, aiming for Jack's throat, he was certain he was going to die. He raised his arms shielding his head and cried "_STOP!_"

Even though he was mute and he was sure no sound came, he could still hear the echo of the sudden outburst. He hadn't made any noise, but the dog still reacted. It slammed on the brakes, skidding the last few meters, stopping inches before Jack's face.

And to Jack's surprise, the dog answered him.

"_You… speak_?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUN**

**What's going on? Jack can speak to the dog! O_O**

**Omg, I was SOO HAPPY when I saw people had read my story! You have no idea! I will be writing more soon! There's a long weekend ahead! But please, do not expect a 3000-word chapter every single day (seriously, that was such a pain). I might do a few specials now and then, just bear with me! **

**So yeah, I got a few lovely reviews in the last part, which I will gladly respond to! **

**Guest: I'm so glad you enjoy the story! Don't worry, I'll write more as soon as possible! I haven't got any pairings planned, so I don't think you'll have to worry. I can't write romance, so I won't even try if it ever comes to that. ^u^**

**HerHiddenSecret: Thank you so very much! It makes me happy! :D**

**Please let me know about possible grammar or spelling mistakes, and feel free to review!**

**Thank you!**

**Eskil**


	3. Jack smuggles illegal coffee beans

**Chapter 3**

**Jack smuggles illegal coffee beans**

"_No really… you speak?_"

This human-thing must be affecting Jack's brain. _He was imagining a talking dog_! The dog didn't seem hostile any more, but Jack wasn't going to lower his guard.

"_Say something!_" The dog barked. It really barked. Jack could hear it, but the words were imbedded in the sound. Jack couldn't answer it, could he?

_No!_ Jack thought hastily. _No, I didn't say a thing!_

The dog's ears perked. "_Oh, yes you did! You're speaking! How are you doing that?_"

Jack looked up at the dog uncertainly. It had backed off a little and was sitting a few meters away. It was studying Jack quietly, but seemed friendly enough.

Jack wondered…_ Can you read my thoughts?_

The dog nodded and grinned. Its tail was wagging now. Jack sat up fully, staring at the dog. _That's impossible! Dogs can't read thoughts! They can't read at all!_

"_Who're you calling "they"? I'm right here, you know._"

_I've got to be hallucinating._

This wasn't happening, it couldn't be… then again, everything from the moment Jack woke up seemed unreal. This was just a normal thing that happened in Jack oh-so un-normal life.

_Okay then… so why were you chasing me?_

"_Uh, because it's my job to guard the junkyard?_" The dog made it sound as if it was smarter than Jack.

_Yeah, yeah, but why would you guard trash? People might have good use from it, and you won't let anyone near. _

The dog didn't answer, but put his head on an angle and murmured "_Lord Whisper…"_

_What?_

"_You're Lord Whisper! The guy from the stories!"_

_Hang on, what now? Stories? _Jack was getting more confused by the moment. He'd heard many stories during his 295-year life, but never heard of this Whisper guy.

"_Well, there are these stories all animals have been told of. It says something of a Spirit that fell from the sky with the power of Speech…"_

_Animals tell stories? That's just weird, and besides; Mother Nature took my voice. I can't speak!"_

"_Not THAT kind of speech. I mean the ability to talk to animals, telepathically. That's Speech. And you have it!"_

That couldn't be right. Jack had NEVER spoken to an animal. Not even before all this crazy stuff happened. Had this "speech" stuff been triggered when he crossed with Mother Nature?

Jack realized that this was probably his "special" talent. Spring had her Bell of Stars, Summer was the Heir of Knowledge and Autumn carried the Spirit of Fire with him… Jack was… well, an animal whisperer, it turned out. It wasn't what he'd been hoping for, but it was _kind of_ awesome.

_Where did these stories come from?_

"_I don't know" _The dog said simply. He wasn't very helpful.

Jack would've liked to ask more questions, but the cold was biting his toes. It was quite distracting.

_Tell you what, if you let me grab some stuff from the Clothing Donation station, I'll do you a favor._

The dog seemed confused by the sudden change of subject, but answered. _"A favor? What kind of favor?"_

_You name it._

Maybe Jack wouldn't have said that. The dog looked way to happy.

"_Anything, then? You'll do anything?"_

_Just keep it realistic. _Jack was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

"_Okay then._" The dog grinned. "_See the office building?_" The dog tilted his head toward the partly-destroyed house.

_Of course I do. What about it?_

"_Well, the door's locked but I was just wondering if you could break in and get me some coffee beans."_

_Eh?_

"_You heard me."_

Jack felt like turning around and marching straight back to Mt Monitor and sleep for a few hours. But it wouldn't happen, of course. Here he was, talking to a dog that apparently had an addiction to coffee beans.

_Why would you want coffee beans?_

"_Well… they're good! And my owner won't give me any. That guy is so annoying…"_

_Wait, your owner's in there? _

"_Huh? Yeah, sure. But don't worry, he should be having one of his four-hour naps by the surveillance camera-monitors. He won't wake."_

The dog seemed pretty sure of this fact, scratching behind his ear. "_Yup. You'll be fine."_

_You told me the door's locked. How am I supposed to get in then?_

"_I was thinking the roof."_

Jack was getting very annoyed by the dog, but didn't say anything.

"_Part of it was ripped off by that crazy storm the other day. You can get through the opening easy."_

_Do it yourself…_

"_I'll tell my owner."_

_Please, go on. _Jack was pissed now.

"_Yeah, so when you've gotten in, you'll probably land in the workshop. There's a door to the main building, so you don't have to worry about that. The staff room is through the first door on the right. My owner keeps the coffee beans in one of the cupboards."_

When the dog had finished, he looked at Jack, eyes full of hope. Suddenly he wasn't a big, scary guarddog anymore, but a puppy hungry for treats. It was horrible, and Jack had no choice but to do as it said.

_Fine! Fine, I'll do it_. Jack grumbled. He rose to his feet and winced as his feet touched the chilled ground. It had gotten darker by a significant amount. The light from the office shone through the windows, lighting up the junkyard.

Jack turned to look at the dog. It was smiling a very doggish grin and wagging his tail.

"_Good luck!" _It barked.

_Piss off. _Jack said.

* * *

**Aaargh! Jack is forced into stealing by a DOG! What a whimp.**

**Hi again, fellow readers! I am soooo happy right now! All the readers! YAY! How I love getting up in the morning to find a bunch of reviews on my story! OuO**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! It's a tiny bit longer than the last one. Jack's language is getting stronger but I'll keep it as friendly as I can. Also, the dog wasn't in the original plan, but I added it in order to get some more dialogue into the story. **

**And what's this? An Animal Whisperer? Go go Jack! I wanted to add a little bit of supernatural shit, I hope you don't mind. :P I probably won't introduce any more magic for a looong time now, so keep reading and find out what happens next!**

**Thankyou kindly for all the feedback, my dear readers! I will respond to ALL the reviews!**

**Breyannia: We'll just have to wait and see, won't we? 8D**

**xxRebelWinterxx: Thankyou! Will do!**

**Mysterydude123: Hello again! :D Oooh, go for it, man! I'll totally give it a shot! Thankyou!**

**Only A Guest: Thanks a bunch! You think? That makes me happy on the inside! Thankyou! Oh, how I wish I could write every day, all the time. I'll probably go on a writing spree this weekend to get the story started, but by the time it's over I probably won't be able to update as often. Stay tuned!**

**Eskil**

**I was an author even before I started writing. I had hundreds of stories in my head, but never gotten around to write them down.**


	4. Jack meets the Demon Chihuahua

**Chapter 4**

**Jack meets the demon Chihuahua**

_Stupid mongrel can't do anything himself… _Jack thought while he trekked through the trash toward the office.

He was angry. He was cold. The mutt who'd forced him onto this meaningless quest was nipping at his heels, herding him forward. He made no sign showing he'd heard Jack. ("_The name's Melvin by the way!"_)

Melvin the Mutt was almost as big as Jack himself, and if Jack tried to fight his way out of here, he'd probably get tossed like a ragdoll. Getting the coffee beans was the only way to walk out of this alive.

At least he'd let Jack bandage his feet with some old sheets he'd ripped to shreds. His feet were wrapped with only his toes sticking out. Jack didn't like the idea of having his toes contained in any way.

They approached the building, and Jack was getting more nervous by each step. He had stolen stuff before, just because he could, but it was probably easier when you were invisible and had the power of flight. Now that he was landlocked and very much visible, things could get complicated.

They circled the house toward the back, and Melvin the dog stopped in front of a tree.

"_Well, here we are."_

Jack looked up into the tree. It was a tall oak with thick branches. One of them was fairly close to the hole in the roof of the building. If Jack climbed up, balanced on the branch, and jumped over to the roof, he'd probably get in.

"_Well what are you waiting for?" _Melvin yelped impatiently_ "we haven't got all day!"_

Jack wanted to tell Melvin that they actually did have all day, but realized that the guard would probably wake up sooner or later. He'd either go now, or risk getting caught.

_Fine, I'm going! You're so helpless, you know that?_

Melvin laughed a funny dog-laugh. It sounded like a seal having a fit or something.

Jack gave Melvin the mutt an angry glare and started climbing. He was good at climbing. After recovering from the first shock of being human, he'd gotten a bit more used to living on the ground. In seconds he'd reached the branch.

Melvin barked instructions from the ground. "_And when you've got the beans, you can probably sneak past my owner's office and exit through the front. I'll be waiting there!_" And so, he bounced off around the corner.

Jack sighed. _Let's get this over with…_

Jack took rate and jumped over to the roof. He landed with a metallic rattle on the part of the roof that hadn't blown away. He paused and listened for any strange noises, but none came. He moved to the edge of the metal roof.

Now he had to make his way into the actual building. He looked down and saw the workshop Melvin had mentioned. There was an ancient car standing in the middle, like someone had been working on it and just forgotten about it… fifty years ago.

There were tools and machines strewn across the concrete floor, and the walls were lined with workbenches, cupboards and shelves.

Jack was planning on edging along the roof to the tallest shelf, climbing down from there. Hopefully it could support him… unlike the weak metallic board he was standing on.

Jack was about to take a step back when the roof gave weight and collapsed. Jack fell. With a strangled yelp he tumbled onto the car, back first. A large dent was formed, and a few toolboxes toppled to the ground. Its contents rattled loudly.

If Jack ever decided to start a criminal career, he'd probably get fired before he even begun. This was ridiculous.

Jack rolled off the car and landed on his feet(for once). The bandages muffled his steps as he hid behind the car. He listened again.

After coming to the conclusion the coast was clear, he crept toward the white door on the other side of the car. If Melvin's instructions were correct, that was the way to the main building. He opened it and peeked inside.

It was a corridor. In the far corner he could see a room with computer-monitors and a checkout window. The place looked ancient. The monitors flickered in black and white, and sure enough there was man sitting at an office chair, fast asleep. He was bald, quite fat and wore a light blue-checkered polo shirt. He snored.

Jack sighed in relief. He sure hoped nobody else was around, and considering the place was a mess, that was probably the situation.

Jack quietly snuck into the hallway. He probably didn't need to be so quiet, considering the sleeping security guard hadn't woken up even though Jack pretty much had destroyed the workshop.

It was weird. Jack actually had to fight the impulse to wake him up. He just wanted to know if he actually could be _seen_. Would the guard see him? Jack wanted to know…

But Jack shook his senses and forced himself to focus on the task ahead. Coffee beans. First door on the right. Got it.

Jack pressed his ear to the first door. He could hear the rasping of a radio playing out-of-date music. Was there someone in the room? Jack had to risk it. Ever so slowly he opened the door.

There sure was a radio on a table, playing jagged tunes. The room was quite small and hot. It smelled funny. There was everything you'd find in a kitchen: a stove, oven, sink, tiny refrigerator and cupboards. There were two mismatched chair at the table, and the floor was a mess. Old papers and wrappers lay all over the place, as well as towels and blankets for some reason.

Jack went into the room. It seemed empty. He closed the door quickly, so that the screaming radio wouldn't wake the guard. Why was it even on? No matter.

Jack started rummaging through the cupboards. He came across a whole lot of thing that shouldn't have been there. Books, leaflets, plastic bottles, more blankets, lightbulbs and cutlery. At last, in the very back, he found a pack of coffee beans. It was half-empty, but Melvin would have to do with that.

Jack sure wasn't coming back here again, even if it was easy. He risked getting caught at any moment, and it was a fearsome thought.

But as Jack was about to leave, his stomach growled. He was hungry. _Hungry. _Jack had never been hungry before. He'd only eaten once every two years or so. But now he would constantly be in need of food and water, which was another downside from getting turned human.

Jack groaned as his stomach protested once more. _Okay okay… let's see here… might as well raid the place while I'm here._

And so he did. Jack found an old backpack lying in a corner of the room. It was covered in fur for some reason. He brushed it off and started going through the cupboards again.

He filled the bag with some crackers, tins of beans, corn and peas, a few slices of old, dry bread and a box of cereal. The rest of the food was either moldy of uneatable unless you cooked it, like rice.

Jack opened the mini-fridge on the floor to see if there was anything edible in there. Unfortunately it was filled with beer and energydrink, nothing for Jack. However he did find a few earthy potatoes in the back. He threw them into the bag as well as the coffee beans.

Jack wondered if he would have any use from the cutlery, but decided to pass up on them. He tried the tap realized it worked. Ice-cold water streamed into the sink. Jack picked up a plastic bottle and was just about to rinse it when he heard a voice.

"_EY! What do ya think yer DOING?!"_

Jack was so shocked he dropped the bottle onto the floor and crashed into the table. The radio fell to the floor and smashed into million pieces.

Jack looked at the door. It was closed. It was quiet.

"_Down here ya bloomin' idiot!_"

Jack looked down and saw that, out of the bottle he'd about filled with water, crawled a big, gray, muddy _rat_.

Jack almost sighed in the relief, but was still too horror-struck to move. For a moment he'd thought the guard had woken up and come into the room, catching Jack red-handed. It was official. Jack was never setting foot in this place ever again.

"_Daft human… I was sleeping…" _The rat had started waddling away when Jack called..

_I'm sorry I woke you up._

The rat twisted around to stare at Jack. "_… Lord Whisper? Is that you?"_

_That's me. _Jack said/thought and rolled his eyes.

"_But how? And why…" _The confused rat muttered. He suddenly perked up. "_Why's it quiet?"_

Jack tilted his head at the strange question, and was just about to answer when a low rumbling noise met his ears. The rat squeaked in terror and jumped onto Jack's foot.

"_My lord! The radio! Why's the radio not playing?!_" He huffed as he started climbing Jack's leg.

_What are you doing? Get off me…! _Jack turned trying to grab the rat, but stopped.

In the corner Jack hadn't noticed, behind the door, there was something. The growling noise came from there. But there was just a pile of covers and cloth there… or so it looked. As Jack watched, something very small, very angry rose from the blankets. It was Chihuahua, and it was growling. Jack didn't know Chihuahuas had that many sharp teeth.

As Jack listened the Chihuahua growled "…_Intruders!" _and lunged at Jack's leg. Jack made a noise of surprise and pain as the Chihuahua bore it's canines into his leg.

"_AAARGH! My Lord! Fend it off!" _The fat rat screamed as he held onto Jack's other leg for dear life.

Jack managed to kick off the Chihuahua and jumped up onto the counter before he even noticed what he'd done. The tiny snarling dog jumped up, trying to grab Jack, but without result.

_What IS that thing?! _Jack asked the rat which had collapsed onto the disk. _Why's it attacking us?_

"_Guard's Chihuahua. Nasty thing. Only keeps quiet when the radio's playing. Without it…"_

_It sleeps through that noise?_

"_Ey, don' ask me 'ow 'e does it! Get us outta here, Lord"_

_Weren't you asleep in that bottle?_

"_I was- I- What- AARGH, just knock it out or something!"_

Jack didn't like the idea of kicking a tiny little dog. Then again, it _had_ bitten Jack in the leg, so it would probably count as payback. But still..

Ignoring the rat's protests, Jack grabbed its tail, threw it into his backpack, and pounced from the counter to the table and then the floor. He rammed the door open, slid through and slammed it close again. The demon Chihuahua was snarling and barking from the other side of the door.

"_Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!..._"

Jack couldn't believe his luck. And good thing too, because when he turned around to escape this madhouse, he came face to face with a groggy-looking security guard.

* * *

**Cliffhanger galore! HA HA HA!**

**This chapter is a bit longer. :) I was thinking I could start updating once a week, so that I get time to write more so I won't have to stress out about it.**

**I'm happy with this chapter, even if it ends with a horrible cliffhanger.**

**Thankyou so much for the reviews! I love you all! 3**

**Mysterydude123: Thanks! I'm not sure. I'm thinking maybe once or twicea week starting sunday. The reason I'm uploading so much now is because I want people to get into the story and await more. :D It all depends on the reader, I will say!**

**I-Am-Jack-Frost: Thanks for reading! I'll update once or twice a week, starting tomorrow.**

**Eternal She-Wolf: Thankyou! :D**

**xxRebelWinterxx: Thank you very much! **

**Eskil**

**I write the Author's Note at the end of a chapter. That way people don't know what _you_ think of it.**


	5. Jack loots the lot and makes new friends

**Chapter 5**

**Jack loots the lot and makes new friends**

For a moment the guard just stared at him. Jack wasn't sure how to get out of this situation.

"What do you think you're doing in here?! Does this look like a playground to you?" The man bellowed and started forward, trying to grab Jack. Jack acted upon reflex, jumped and headbutted the guard right in his jaw. A sick _crunch_ echoed in the hallway but Jack really didn't perceive much.

295 and the first guy who'd talk to him was a drunken, incompetent junkyard-guard who kept hellhounds in the staffroom. To say Jack was disappointed was an understatement.

The guard wobbled and cradled his jaw, making noises of pain. Jack spotted a metal pipe of some sort lying lost on the floor, so he picked it up and slammed it on the guard's head. He was out cold the moment it hit.

Ratty the rat was watching Jack over his shoulder. He was mighty impressed. (_"Lord Whisper is such a powerful person!_") Jack had had enough excitement for today, and was happier than words could express when he exited the office doors. He was even happy to see Melvin hanging out right outside.

Jack ordered the dog to follow, and he did. Jack wasn't sure which one of them was in command any more, since what felt like hours ago he had been sent to go get snacks for the dog. Maybe he had earned Melvin's respect by actually succeeding.

On the way to Mt Monitor Jack grabbed the clothes he'd thrown away when Melvin chased him. He would make another trip to the container of donated clothes later today.

When they got back to "base camp", Jack pulled out the beans and threw them in Melvin's face.

_There's your blasted beans. Happy?_

"_Very" _Melvin grinned.

Jack sat down and started ripping bandages. Again.

* * *

"_I say, I was sure you'd get caught when my owner found you. But I guess Lord Whisper is better at fighting than he looks…" _Melvin chatted away while crunching on his coffee beans.

_How is it that you can talk while you're eating?_

"_Like I said before, Lord. We speak telepathically. We can still talk with our mouths full."_

Melvin had started calling Jack "Lord" now that he'd "shown himself worthy". The dog didn't seem baffled at all by the fact that Jack had given his owner a slight concussion.

_Why didn't you tell me about the Chihuahua? _Jack asked, suddenly angry at Melvin.

"_Oh, you mean Esmeralda Juanita?"_

_I- What? That thing's a chick?_

"_No. She's a dog…"_

_I mean, it's a girl?_

"_She sure is. And she doesn't like the snow. My owner got her from Mexico 'couple o' years ago. Her temper's pretty up and down."_

_All the more reason to tell me about her. _Jack grumbled while he was inspecting his loot.

"_I just wanted to know how you'd take her. You know, in case you were a fake…"_

Jack didn't like that comment, but dropped the subject.

He had received four new bruises from his little adventure; He had cut up his upper arm when the metal roof had given weight, and he was pretty sure his entire back was black and blue after he'd fallen on top of the car. He'd also been bitten by what hopefully hadn't been a rabid Chihuahua and he'd gotten a bump on his head after headbutting the guard.

He'd also raided the donation station and found a few new clothings that fit somewhat.

Right now he was dressed in a pair of slack jeans which were ripped at the knees, as well as a new T-shirt under his blue hoodie, and on top of that a black raincoat which almost reached down to Jack's knees.

He'd also made a donation of his own; even though he'd wore those same pants all his life, it was time to update his wardrobe. And, let's face it, they were literally ancient. Maybe they would end up at some happy historian and then be placed in a museum.

Jack kept his hood up most of the time in order to keep out the cold. He'd made a new layer of bandaging for his feet after washing them out with snow. It had made Jack sad to see the snow melt in his hands.

As for shoes, Jack wasn't sure what to do at first. He didn't like shoes at all, but eventually had to give in when the cold got worse, and he couldn't very well be running around cutting up his feet any more. He found a pair of _Nike _shoes in another compartment of donations, as well as some socks.

Now he was sitting here in the junkyard, eating raw potatoes and snow with a dog and a rat as company.

Speaking of Ratty, he'd been scolding Melvin non-stop since they were introduced. ("_How dare you make Lord Whisper do something like that? You should be ashamed! Really, having a Lord run you errands…"_)

Jack didn't pay much attention. He was too sleepy. He'd been up and running all day now, and was getting extremely tired. Too much had happened today for Jack to handle. He had to sleep. Like, right now.

He packed up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He started looking for a place to sleep. Ratty followed his footsteps, still arguing with Melvin. It had gotten very dark now.

_Melvin, you should go back to the house._

Melvin looked sad. "_I wanted to keep talking with you guys…"_

_Come back tomorrow, okay? What about you Ratty?_

"_I must stay with the powerful Whisper! He will protect us all! (And he's got all the food…)" _

_Suit yourself._

Jack sent Melvin back to the house. He wondered if the pathetic guard had shown any sign of life. _Meh, he'll be fine._

Jack put Ratty in his pocket and approached a broken car. It still had glass in its windows and the doors seemed to work fine. Jack opened the door and checked inside. The leather seats in the back looked comfortable.

He hesitated a bit but decided that it was ok, so he jumped into the car and closed the door. Just to be sure, he locked the doors before placing his bag onto the far seat, using it as a pillow. Ratty was snoring in his pocket.

Even though he was so tired he could've fallen asleep standing up, he still lay awake, watching the stars outside. It hit him what a big mess he was. The other day he'd been soaring over Mongolia, now he was living in a junkyard.

Yep. His life was pretty ridiculous.

And on that happy note, Jack fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**I'm on a roll! If you're reading this, I've probably already written chapters 6-10! This is fun!**

**I don't know exactly how long this series is going to be. That depends on what Mother Nature says… ****Darn it, I can't get any linebreaks to work! They just get deleted whenever I upload the chapter! ...****Nevermind, It works now!**

**I'm just editing some of the earlier chapters right now, and catching up with the story. ****Also, I'm not sure if I've rated the story the right way, since there **_**will **_**be violence later in the story. This far it's ok, I think.**

**I've decided I'll upload new chapters on Sundays and Wednesdays, sound good?**

**Lovely reviews! :D omnomnomn**

**I-Am-Jack-Frost: hehehe Thank you! :D**

**Only a Guest: I say, you must live in the US? In that case, no surprise! I'm on a roll here, can't stop!**

**LiveLaughLove102: Yep, that's the picture I get of small and large dogs. The bigger the dog, the sweeter! :D :D**

**mysterydude123: Thanks for reading man! Mwahaha :D**

**xxRebelWinterxx: Thanks! :D I'll update on Sundays and Wednesdays. Keep reading!**

**Eskil**

**I ate raw potatoes for breakfast yesterday. It's good. Really.**


	6. Jack's great escape

**Chapter 6**

**Jack's great escape**

"_LORD! WAKE UP!"_

Jack had a tiny heartattack when he opened his eyes and saw a rat sitting on his chest. He yelped and fell off whatever he'd been lying on. He landed on something hard and uncomfortable, which smelled of rubber and rust. He lay there, face-down, trying to remember…

Yesterday's adventures caught up to Jack and he groaned, flipping over.

"_We've got a guest, Lord." _Ratty said and indicated the door. Jack hoisted himself up and looked outside, which he couldn't see much of, in fact. Most of the view was blocked by a giant, furry face.

"_Morning Lord! Let me in would'ya?_" Melvin barked through the glass. Reluctantly, Jack opened the door and let the giant dog into the already crammed compartment.

_Could you please try and be a little bit more discrete with your visits? People might notice you. And that's the last thing I want. _Jack said, as Melvin accidentally sat on Ratty.

"_Ah, chill. Nobody will notice. In fact, I think we're the only living beings left in this place." _He said and rubbed his nose where the rat had bit him. "_My owner was long gone when I came back. Haven't seen him since you lot knocked him out."_

Jack froze. The guard was gone? Oh no. He must've gotten up sometime during the night and called an ambulance. Or worse, the police. Jack really didn't want to deal with the police. That would just lead to awkward questions, none of which he could answer.

This only meant one thing: If the guard guy had told anyone about him (_I'm telling you! A kid! One brown eye, one blue…)_ he'd be in deep trouble. He had such an appearance that anyone could remember. The police surely wouldn't have any trouble seeking him out.

He checked his face in the rear-mirror. Yup. His left eye was blue, the right one brown. He only had one choice. He had to leave the junkyard, _pronto_.

He turned back to the animals, who seemed to be in a deep conversation regarding coffee beans. Jack pulled out his bag and rummaged through it until he found a potato to chew on.

He was gnawing on the potato when he felt he was being watched. Melvin was staring at the potato like it was the last wonder in the world.

"_Do- Do you got any food I could have? I'm starving!" _Melvin's tail started whisking around.

_No. It's my potato._

"_But I haven't had anything for hou- days! I haven't eaten in days."_

_Piss off. You were downing coffee beans like crazy yesterday!_

"_What about me, Lord? Surely you're not going to eat the last potato by yourself…" _Ratty piped up.

_How'd you know it was the last one?! Were you going through my stuff?_

"_I was merely checking our supplies! Wouldn't want to starve, would you?"_

_What do you mean "our" supplies?!_

"_Be nice, Lord…" _Melvin stood in an awkward crouch inside the car, drooling.

_I'm not sharing food with the most useless dog in the world and an overweight rat!_

"_Come on, just a nibble!" _Ratty lunged for the potato.

_NO! Get off me, you melodramatic rodent…!_

Jack tumbled backward and slammed into the door, which flew open. Jack made a backward somersault onto the wet ground. The sun was already high in the sky, and the snow was melting. Good thing Jack was wearing his rainjacket.

"_Species-fight!" _Melvin made a belly flop right onto Jack, crushing him under his weight. The giant dog weighed at least twice as much than Jack. Maybe even three times. Jack was so skinny and light that he could've used Melvin as a steed. The thought tempted Jack, but right now he had bigger issues.

_Get off me! _Jack protested. Melvin wasn't budging.

Jack was about to threaten the hound further when he heard the last noise he wanted to hear today; cars pulling into the parkinglot outside the office. Melvin noticed too, and hastily stepped off Jack.

Jack crouched behind a sofa to peek at the cars. The guard's car still stood parked there, not having moved for more than 24 hours. On its left stood an unfamiliar, white pickup truck, and on its right a police car.

Jack almost forgot to breathe when (what he assumed was) two community workers stepped out of the pickup, and two policemen from the other. If they found him, he'd be doomed. Not only that, but he'd left tracks all over the place; blood, even.

Jack wanted to know what they were talking about. Maybe the guard hadn't recognized him? Maybe he didn't even remember him? They probably wouldn't even look around the junkyard. Then he'd be ok hiding in a car or something..

He started creeping toward the building, sure not to make any noise what so ever. Jack could be stealthy when he wanted to. He reached the wall. Now, the security people were just around the corner. Jack willed his ears to listen…

"…I'm telling you, the guy was delirious. There's no way he was knocked out by a _kid_."

"But how else would he have done it? Nobody's _that_ much of a clutz."

"But the guy seemed sure of what he was talking about, didn't he? … I'm going to believe him."

"Just check the tapes and be done with it, would you?"

Jack didn't need to hear any more. So the guy had told them about him. And they were going to check the tapes! Why had Jack been so stupid? He thought nobody would notice him because the guard was such an incompetent alcoholic! Of course there would be surveillance cameras…

Jack heard as the people around the corner entered through the door. When the door closed, he sprinted back to Melvin and Ratty and ducked behind the sofa.

"_Well? What'd they say?!"_ Ratty asked.

_They're onto me. I have to get out of here. Melvin! What's the fastest way out?_

Melvin seemed baffled when all eyes turned to him. _"Well, I guess you could try climbing the fence, but…"_

_Great! Come on then!_

Jack collected all his pathetic belongings, slung the bag over his shoulder and started crawling toward the fence. His pulse was 120 and he was sweating, which was _very_ odd for a former Winter Spirit.

"_Dude! I'm serious, you want to listen to me this time!" _Melvin was trotting in a crouch behind Jack.

_The last time I listened to you, I almost got my limbs ripped off by a midget hellhound, thank you very much._

Melvin looked hurt._ "Suit yourself. But don't blame me when you singe your eyebrows off on the ELECTRIC FENCE."_

Another thing to add to the list of problems that might occur during this master break-out plan Jack had subconsciously formed in his head. How the _heck_ was he going to get out?

_I'm sorry, Melvin! Please, is there ANY other way out? Maybe a SAFE way?_

"_If you want to be arrested…"_

_NO! _

"_Well you might just make it over the fence, actually. See, the electricity moves in pulses. You've got about five seconds between them."_

_So you think I'm going to climb a fence in less than 5 seconds? Get real, you stupid canine…_

"_Actually, only the top part of the fence is electric. If you can time it right, you'll make it. The fence will pop once in a while, that means it's safe to go."_

Jack didn't like the idea of risking being jolted off a 3-metre tall fence, but did he have any choice? Jack had just reached the fence when he heard something.

The community-workers were inspecting the lot. And it looked like they'd found Jacks footprints outside the clothing donation, along with some blood.

"See, Johnson? There was someone here! It has to be him!" The first one, a woman, said.

"Follow the prints?" Johnson asked.

"Follow the prints." The woman agreed. And they were gone.

It would only be the matter of minutes before they'd find Jack's "base camp" by Mt Monitor, and even less time before they'd circled the place and found the car. It was now or never.

_I have to go now. Melvin, what about you?_

"_I'll fend them off if necessary. Don't worry, I'll get out of here and find you! Promise!"_

Even though Jack knew it wasn't a good idea to take an extra mouth to feed with him, he had gotten quite attached to the giant dog. And besides, if he left him behind he'd probably end up at the pound one way or another.

_Ratty, you live here, don't you? You should stay._

"_Noooo, take me with you, Lord Whisper."_ Ratty complained and cringed to Jack's jeans. _"Now that the people in the building is gone, I won't have any fooood…"_

_You talk like I'm a walking café, which I'm not, for the record. _Jack shoved the rat off.

"_Lord, pleeaaaase…"_

_Sigh… _Make that two extra mouths. Jack picked up the cheering rat and put him on his shoulder. _Stay put._

"_Will do!"_

Jack turned to the fence again, when he heard it.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing?"

The grownups started walking at a swift pace toward Jack. It soon changed into a run when they realized Jack was going to climb.

"_Go, Lord! Hurry!" _Melvin howled and charged, doing his solemn duty as guarddog.

Jack had a hard time getting a grip on the fence, but with encouraging words from Melvin and Ratty, he soon made it to the top. The ticking of the electricity was quite loud up here, and Jack waited impatiently for it to stop. Adrenaline was rushing through him.

Meanwhile, Melvin was having trouble. The guy, Johnson, had gotten hold of a metal bar which he was using as a sword.

"Get back, you mangy mongrel!" He shouted and whisked the bar. Melvin yelped as the bar hit his shoulder. He fell to the side.

"JOHNSON! What do you think you're DOING?" The woman shrieked.

"I was using necessary force… OI! The kid's getting away!"

Jack had eventually heard the _pop _of the line and hoisted himself over. He was half-way over when Ratty shouted "_Melvin's down!" _It was a millisecond distraction, but that's all it took.

10.000 volts of pure electricity shot through Jack, and he was blasted off the fence into the ditch on the other side.

As Jack was falling, he could feel his heart stop for about 0.01 seconds. It was a good time to wonder why the heck people needed so many forms of security in a _junkyard_. People are fond of their trash, aren't they?

Jack hit the damp ground with a _thud_. He was shaking all over, but alive. Ratty's fur was singed and smelled burnt, but he was ok.

"_Next time, let's just sneak out the front, even if it means we'll get arrested_."

Jack nodded dumbly and sat up, shakily. He looked back to the fence. The two grownups were standing by the metal wires, staring at Jack.

"You ok, kid?" the woman called. She sounded nice, concerned even, but Jack wouldn't have answered even if he could.

"Through the gates, come on McCornick." the man said and ran. The woman, McCornick, looked at his retrieving back, turned to lock eyes with Jack for a moment, then turned to follow her colleague.

Melvin came wobbling toward the fence.

_Are you ok? _Jack asked worriedly.

"_Never better! This would be a good time for you to run, though."_

_Will you make your way out?_

"_Tell you what, start walking toward Priestville and I'll catch up with you, promise."_

_Priestville?_

"_Straight ahead. Ratty knows the way…"_

"_Yes sirree, jus' listen to the rat..."_

_Alright. _Jack turned to Melvin. _Thank you, Melvin. Really._

_"Anytime" _Melvin grinned.

With those words, Jack began his journey west.

* * *

**Time to introduce some new characters, eh?**

**God, school is killing me. I got bad marks and my parents were furious. o.o' Didn't have any time to write on Wednesday.**

**By the way, don't expect me to follow those upload-dates I made. XD Haha, no way I'm gonna have time fo' dat...**

**The reviews are pouring in! Thank you SO MUCH guys! **

**oEnvy: Thank you very much! The reason my chapters are quite short is because of the fact I don't really develop or elaborate the acts as much as I want to. So if I simply throw a whole lot of actions into one chapter, it will seem forced and way overdone. I hope it's not too much of a problem. :) I'd also like to see a mute Jack around the Guardians... this fic won't feature any of that though, heads up. Maybe I'll write a story like that next? Again, thanks for the review! 3 :D**

**GoldenHeartz11: Thanks! How about reading all the available chapters before asking questions, k? ;D Jack won't be living stray for a full 5 years, that's wayyy to much for me to write and plan. Indeed, telepathically, of course.  
**

**Guest: I don't know what kind of potatoes you're talking about, but I simply love eating them raw, and I'm still alive. OuO. Thankyou! **

**StuckInThePastJackFrost: Thank you! (Lol short comment, short answer.)**

**FanFictionGhost: Your username is epic. Thankyouu! 33**

**Jayann: Thank you so much! **

**xxRebelWinterxx: SSHOOOES. HAhah, thank you very much! I plan on making this series fairly long, so don't worry! (I'd say 40 or so chapters, but I can't keep any promises!) Keep reading an' I'll keep writing!**

**melancholybloody: Nah, that's not the case. :3 Humans can't whistle that loud.**

**Eskil**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACC CEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**


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